


the taming of a monster

by cosmicallybrownie



Category: Satan and Me (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-23 12:29:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11402433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicallybrownie/pseuds/cosmicallybrownie
Summary: After seeking advice, Raphael ends up taking Uriel to a horror movie that neither of them wanted to see. After a few tries, Raphael gets a hang of the whole flirting thing right in time for the ending.





	the taming of a monster

Raphael tapped his fingers on the door frame without any sort of rhythm and his eyebrows pinched together as he processed the suggestion from Chamuel.

“But why would I take him to a scary movie? He doesn’t like them.” Raphael asked, and Chamuel folded her arms over her chest and huffed, like he had missed something obvious.

She leaned her hip against the counter and shrugged, “It’ll be a good bonding experience. The chance for you to wrap your big, hairy arms around him to protect him from the Hollywood monster.” Something like enthusiasm spilled over the edges of her words, and painted the image of the closeness afforded by theatre seats in his mind.

Raphael nodded slowly, understanding unfurling across his brow like a rippling tide. “Yes, I’ll take him to a scary movie, and hold him during the scary parts,” he mumbled, speaking more to himself than to Chamuel.

After a moment, Chamuel clapped her hands together and wished Raphael luck before she swept out of the room, leaving Raphael alone to his planning.

* * *

Raphael slipped a pair of tickets to Uriel as a way of invitation, and Uriel paled a little at the movie title that promised some combination of demons, haunted houses, and dumb white people. All of his protests died, however, when he saw the enthusiasm lighting Raphael’s face gold, and Uriel nodded after a quiet moment and accepted the tickets gratefully.

* * *

It was darker outside than it was in the theatre when Raphael and Uriel shuffled in quietly, trailing to seats the very back row to avoid obscuring anyone’s vision with Raphael’s head and shoulders. Rows of lights guided their steps, and the red velvet seats were rough against Raphael’s fingertips as he let his hands drag along the tops of the empty seats. When they finally sat down, Raphael’s knees touched the seat in front of him and Uriel bumped Raphael’s thigh with his knee and smiled.

The dimmed lights flickered off suddenly, bathing the theatre in darkness as the opening credits rolled across the screen. A shot in black and white had Raphael reaching over to wrap an arm tightly around Uriel’s shoulders, pressing him against his broad chest.

“What are you doing?” Uriel whispered against the fabric of Raphael’s shirt, unable to bend his elbows to free himself.

“This is a horror movie,” Raphael emphasized quietly, “Aren’t you scared?”

White curved letters spelled out the movie’s title and the screen faded to black as the music cut out suddenly. The thundering orchestral music was replaced with tinkling piano music filling the dark room, and a picket fence family appeared on the screen in a station wagon, smiling as they drove through the countryside.

“It  _just_ started, Raph. Nothing’s even happened.” The firm insistence of Uriel’s tone had Raphael releasing his grip on him, and leaning back into his own seat.

Raphael twisted the papery movie stubs in his fingers nervously and mumbled, “This isn’t how this is supposed to work.”

The action had begun to slowly pick up, distracting both of them as shades of sepia painted the dark history of the movie on the screen. Uriel’s expression was pinched in concentration as he followed the confusing plot as it unraveled, and Raphael was content to watch the emotions play across his face rather than focusing on the movie.

A loud crash started Uriel as the ghost jumped out of nowhere, and his small frame jerked at the surprise. He leaned closer to Raphael, their arms brushing on the armrest when he said, “That scared me.”

Uriel’s hot breath against the skin of Raphael’s cheek had his heart racing more than the movie did, and his foot tapped anxiously against the floor. The staccato beat of his bouncing leg echoed his pulse, and Uriel still hadn’t pulled away. Raphael could feel the heat from Uriel burning against his skin like the sun, sending tingles down to his fingertips.  

“We can leave,” Raphael blurted out, slightly too loud for a movie theatre. A swell of music from the movie swallowed Raphael’s words, but Uriel heard them, and shook his head.

“No, this is fine.” Uriel assured him, “I like being here with you.”

The whispered words had Raphael melting into his seat, and the movie suddenly earned his rapt attention as the blood quickly rushed to Raphael’s ears, aided by his pounding heart. He managed several nods in rapid succession as a reply to Uriel and Raphael heard a short exhale of laughter from Uriel as he settled back into his own seat.

Screams from the screen filled the room, and Uriel’s shoulders went tense under the cacophony of terror. Raphael could see his form go still out of the corner of his eye, and he took a stabilizing breath before reaching over and placing a hand on Uriel’s arm.

“They are only actors, it’s not real.” Uriel skin was soft under Raphael’s calloused fingers, and Uriel’s sympathetic eyes found Raphael’s.

Uriel moved his arm so that their fingers slid together, and Raphael tightened his grip on his hand when Uriel said, “I know.”

The warmth of Raphael’s large hands sent shockwaves of fire burning through Uriel’s fingertips, and the tight squeeze Raphael gave every time the monster appeared on screen was a placating comfort in its own way. Unfortunately, his grip was unbreakable as the sun, and Uriel couldn’t escape the embrace even as the credits began to roll.

  
After all of the names on the screen had faded to black, leaving Uriel and Raphael alone in an empty theatre, Raphael reluctantly let go of Uriel’s hand.

“That was scary. Sorry,” Raphael apologized, sitting forward in his chair so he could twist and look back to Uriel. A content smile played on Uriel’s lips, even as he flexed his hands and stifled a wince at the stiff joints.

He curled a leg under him at his seat, then laid his hand against Raphael’s forearm, “Don’t apologize, I like being with you more than I dislike horror movies.”

The confession sucked the air from the room, and Raphael was nearly breathless when he asked, “What? Being with me?”

Raphael’s eyes were wide as he gaped at Uriel without blinking. The lights in the theatre clicked on around them, but neither of them noticed as the brightness flooded the room, making the dusting of color on Raphael’s cheek visible.

“You heard me.” Uriel said, almost as a challenged for Raphael, “I had fun.”

Raphael’s hands glided through the air as he conveyed his concerns with broad motions, “But I couldn’t even protect you from the monster.” The onscreen monster had hardly been anything more than a pissed off ghost, but the feeling of inadequacy from seeing Uriel flinch away still made Raphael nervous with sideways vulnerability.

His words were almost bitter, and the energy had faded from Raphael’s display, leaving his hands in his lap almost shaking with exhaustion. The carpeted floor was littered with papers and abandoned pieces of popcorn, and it was all Raphael could do to lift his head to meet Uriel’s eyes again.

“Shut up,” Uriel sighed, “I don’t have to need ‘protection’ from some threat for you to hold my hand. You may anytime.”

Raphael hardly had time to process his words before Uriel’s hand left its spot on Raphael’s arm to intertwine with his hand instead. Uriel punctuated the succinct promise by squeezing Raphael’s hand, then pulling him down while Uriel leaned forward. He met Raphael where he sat, and the brush of Raphael’s beard against Uriel’s skin tickled for a breathless moment. Raphael’s lips were chapped but impossibly warm when he kissed back after a breathless moment.

The ticket stubs Raphael had been holding in his free hand fluttered to the floor as he pulled Uriel closer, and kissed him until he forgot all about the haunted house, and all of Uriel’s memories were of Raphael.  

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is for meandsatan on tumblr! She won my giveaway post and requested this!


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